Older Women

Report following the rental experiences of four key groups of renters: women aged 55 and over, low income families, newly arrived migrants and young renters. Journey mapping with four key groups of renters, exploring common and unique experiences and pain points.

Christine is a recently retired and now homeless mature age woman who has, like so many other retired professional women, little to no prospect of obtaining public or community housing, or being able to afford market price rentals.
She is the convenor of the Housing Alternatives self-help action group on Facebook and the creator of the Housing Alternatives web site,

COTA SA, the peak advocacy body for older people in South Australia, is urging the Liberal Government to make a commitment to address escalating housing stress and homelessness among older South Australians in its 2018/19 State Budget.
The housing ‘ticking time bomb' is one of a number of issues identified that COTA SA has included recommendations for in its 2018 State Budget Submission, del

This document outlines issues for practitioners and service providers to consider when working with older women who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. It is targeted primarily at practitioners and service providers who are not experienced with,
or specialists, in providing services to older women experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

While the stereotypical face of poverty is a older man – a lifetime down on his luck, the fastest growing demographic of people experiencing homelessness is single women over the age of 55.
While it is clear that women are victim to lifelong structural settings that have undermined their financial security – the state of the housing market is what is pushing so many women from housing stress into

The number of homeless people in Australia jumped by more than 14,000 — or 14 per cent — in the five years to 2016, according to census data which also reveals a "significant" increase in older women on the streets and a growing group living in overcrowded accommodation.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said 116,000 people were homeless on census night in 2016, representing 50

The problems of homelessness are largely systemic and cannot be solved by community goodness alone. The Housing All Australians strategy shows how the private sector, working with the community sector, can provide immediate short-term shelter in buildings that are vacant pending planning & development process.

In the UK, some 14–17% of adults over 65 are lonely. Social isolation and the subjective experience of loneliness can increase the risk of poor health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, suicide, sleep problems and premature mortality. Cohousing is a form of grouped housing designed and managed by those who reside within it.

Single women aged over 60 are becoming increasingly vulnerable to housing stress and insecurity and while the factors leading to homelessness are often complex, consistent trends have been emerging with this group in our community.

This Plan for Change proposes a series of initiatives to help older women to be able to live in homes that are safe, secure and affordable. It has been developed by a group of non-government agencies...